


Spring Air

by Humbleapplecrumble



Category: Brooklyn Nine Nine
Genre: Alternative get together, F/M, Fluff, Johnny and dora, One Shot, Thinking Out Loud, Undercover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 02:16:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15898878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humbleapplecrumble/pseuds/Humbleapplecrumble
Summary: On an undercover operation, Jake and Amy realise their feelings for each other when they’re forced to be a couple.Amy grinned up at him and offered him her hand. He smiled his big, dorky smile and took it, his hand engulfing hers. She'd never noticed how much bigger his hands were than hers; despite spending so much time together, she suddenly felt there was much she did not yet know about Jake Peralta.





	Spring Air

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by everybody's favourite "Johnny and Dora", an alternative undercover-couple operation that makes Jake and Amy realise their feelings for each other while they get super into pretending to be a couple. More importantly I was inspired by the other wonderful Peraltiago fanfiction out there!

Amy pulled the UC car into the parking bay and Jake passed over her takeout coffee. They were on an undercover assignment to track a wanted dealer, Russo, who was expected to be making a huge sale somewhere along this street, and they needed to follow him so that Diaz and Holt could bust both him and the buyer on the other side. At the very least, they needed some photographic evidence of the drop. Russo had been haunting the Nine-Nine for weeks and the whole squad was fed up of him slipping through their fingers, but they had worked out his pattern; unlike many of their usual cases, Russo liked dealing in public places. Sometimes when there were hundreds of people around you, you became invisible.

The detectives, having drained their coffee, left their car and walked down the cobbled street, weaving in and out of the pedestrians lugging bags of high street sale shopping. Amy stopped suddenly when she spotted their perp across the street, placing her arm in front of Jake's chest so he'd get the hint without risking their cover. Jake nodded, their silent language that had been mastered over their many cases doing its job. He looked at her and nodded again subtly towards a shop window. Amy obeyed and followed him to the jewellery store on their right where they could linger without standing out.

"Ok," Jake mumbled as he glanced towards the floor and played with the zip on his leather jacket. Amy knew he was fidgeting to look less suspicious, but if anything she felt it did the opposite. Self-conscious, she pushed her own hands into her pockets. "We'll hang around for a while and tail him if he moves. He's got to be meeting the buyer here, they're trying to blend into the crowd."  
Amy nodded; Jake always liked to outline the plan even when the team already knew what they were doing. She didn't mind though; the truth was that he was a good detective. A great detective, actually, and saying the plan out loud seemed to keep him focused. She'd learnt that much at least after working with him over the years.  
"Sounds great. Let me know anything you need." She regretted the words as soon as they left her lips.  
"Title of your sextape!!!" Jake gave her a huge grin and she gave an over exaggerated sigh, rolling her eyes.  
The pair simultaneously silenced themselves as they concentrated on the task in-hand, and as Amy looked over her shoulder she noticed their perp on his phone. He stood still while examining it, possibly reading a text message or email, for a few moments before he carried on further towards the end of the street. She looked at Jake who had already read her mind and they started to walk in unison. But after only a few steps, the perp stopped in his tracks and looked back in their direction.

Amy glared at her partner with wide eyes. "What do we do? We need to blend in. We cannot lose this guy again." The perp continued to stare in a way that unsettled both of the NYPD detectives.  
"He's onto us," Jake whispered as he looked over his shoulder, his forehead creased in thought in a way that always made him look years younger than he was. "He's still looking! Ok, Ames, this is happening." Jake quickly placed both of his hands on either side of her face and pressed his lips against hers. They felt cold from the spring air yet they were soft and welcoming, but before she could savour the way it felt being so close to him he gently pulled away. Amy could only look up at his brown eyes that seemed bigger and deeper than they ever had before, almost becoming so lost that she forgot they were on the job. This wasn't real, it was an undercover operation. She gave herself an imaginary pinch to bring herself back to reality, yet Jake looked back at her nervously in a way that made her heart ache - something she hadn't expected. His hands stayed on her face and their eyes stayed locked for what must have only been a second, but felt an age. As if snapping out of it, he pulled his hands back and looked back towards Russo.

"Did it work?"  
Jake's eyes darted let and right as he scanned the moving crowd. "Yeah, I think it did! He's on the move again though. Must have changed the meet up location last minute." He looked back at her. "Sorry, I know that was kind of..."  
Amy shrugged and mentally prayed that her cheeks weren't flushed. "Hey, it worked! Good thinking, really, I think we were busted if you hadn't thought of that." She was fairly sure she kept her cool; she didn't want him to know she had been swept off her feet for a second there. It was nothing, anyway. She was just caught off guard. That was definitely it.  
Jake grinned, his confidence restored. It never took much. "As you know, I am Detective Right-All-The-Time. Let's move."  
They slowly wandered further down the street, keeping their perp in sight.

Amy chewed her lip. "Hang on, Jake. What if he turns around again? We can't just kiss every time he looks, if he doesn't suspect we're cops he'll report us for public indecency. And that is NOT going back to Captain Holt."  
"Yeah, you're right. Undercover, couple stylez?"  
"Looks like it." Amy grinned up at him and offered him her hand. He smiled his big, dorky smile and took it, his hand engulfing hers. She'd never noticed how much bigger his hands were than hers; despite spending so much time together, she suddenly felt there was much she did not yet know about Jake Peralta.  
"Amy Santiago, you sly dog. You've just been waiting for an opportunity to be seen as bagging a piece of this!" He gestured his free hand up and down the frame of his body.  
"You wish, Peralta. Get your head in the game."

They walked hand in hand slowly, pausing every now and again in the shop windows to keep their distance. Russo was waiting for someone, but it seemed the drop location was not yet finalised. The wind picked up and stung Amy's cheeks; the only coat she had brought being her NYPD windbreaker - not ideal for an undercover operation. She was usually so much more organised than this, but the opportunity had come suddenly from an arrested buyer who spilt the beans on Russo's whole operation for the slightest promise of preferential treatment. The detectives were dispatched immediately and she hadn't had the preparation time she preferred.  
Jake really could read her mind sometimes. "Are you cold? Amy, you never have less layers on than me! This is a new achievement for me, I love being the smarter one. Feels good."  
"I'm fine, Jake." Even when he was right, Amy hated him pointing out her mistakes.  
"Ames, seriously, you're going to get sick. We could be out here a while. Anyway, this plays perfectly into our cover!" Jake looked pleased with himself as he unzipped his jacket and placed it over her shoulders, his hand slipping back into hers.  
She smiled at his dorky, adorable face to show her appreciation. "Thanks. I mean, you know, to keep our cover. It makes sense."  
For a second she thought she saw something that resembled disappointment in his eyes, but she shook off the thought and pulled his jacked a little tighter with her free hand.

Russo took a seat on a public bench a little further down the street. The shops were becoming thinner and the detectives would be more exposed down there. Wandering around wasn't going to be an option but this must be where the drop was going down. Jake and Amy took a seat on the opposite side where they had a clear view of their perp and could safely contact the Nine-Nine to update them on the current situation.

Amy was struggling to keep her head clear. They sat closely and Jake kept a tight grip on her hand, but now held it over his lap. Jake's jacket smelt of his cheap aftershave that she had always been so sure she hated, but today didn't hate quite so much. She felt intoxicated in this cover, as if seeing her partner for the first time. And for the tenth time, she pushed such thoughts to the back of her mind.

They sat in silence. Jake pulled out his phone and scrolled to Captain Holt's number, showing her the screen for her approval. She nodded. The Captain answered immediately and Jake updated him about Russo's whereabouts, telling him that he would send a text when the buyer arrived, and that they would keep their current position to take some camera footage. 

Amy's chest tightened as she realised what he was doing so she glanced over at their clasped hands to be sure. Jake was lost in his phone conversation, but his thumb was slowly and gently ambling up and down her's and it tickled her skin like electricity. Part of the cover? But there's no way Russo was anywhere near close enough to notice a detail like that. She stared for a few seconds before glancing up at him, and as if she had burnt holes into his head he looked back at her, giving her a soft, anxious smile. His thumb returned to its natural position but she fairly sure he'd been doing it subconsciously. He finished off his conversation and pushed his phone back into his pocket.

"Holt's happy with our plan, they're ready on the corner of the park for when we give them the signal. Now we've just gotta wait 'til the buyer turns up and it's another solve for Peralta."  
"Uhum!"  
"Ok, ok, Peralta-Santiago. I'll give you this one."

Before they knew it a tall, slim man in a coat far too thick for the weather sat alongside Russo and they began talking. This was their guy. Amy started to take photos on her phone, every now and again showing Jake: this not only helped them make sure the photographs were clear enough, but kept the couple-cover they were trying to maintain. Unfortunately, their buyer clearly didn't think so. He gestured towards them with his elbow and suddenly both pairs of eyes were glued on the undercover couple. 

"Ok Peralta, we're down the rabbit hole now. What the hell," Amy murmured as she lunged herself over Jake, pulling his neck towards her and kissing him hard. "Kissing will make them uncomfortable,"  
"Title of your-"  
Before he could finish the sentence she closed her lips on his again, but this time allowed herself to melt into him. His hand left hers and slipped around her waist, under the jacket he had given her. Jake pulled her closer, his lips leaving and rejoining hers, slowly, softly, as if she wasn't the only one making the most of this moment. One hand found his chest, the other his cheek. As their lips finally parted each detective exhaled slowly, their bodies still intertwined. 

A line had been crossed.

Amy blinked hard as if she'd been dreaming and remembered where they were. A quick look towards Russo confirmed that they had, in fact, kept their cover and the handover had been made. "Now, Jake, now!"

Jake followed instruction and fumbled for his phone, texting Holt and Diaz as he had promised. Amy noticed that this was the first time in a couple of hours that the detectives had not been in physical contact and she already missed it. 

\- 

The Nine-Nine were gathered in their usual seats at the bar, thankfully waving off the case they had been desperate to close for weeks. Amy sat with Rosa and Gina, Jake with Terry and Charles. Every now and again their eyes met, followed by a half-smile, but spirits in the squad were too high for anyone to notice. Even Boyle. Amy Santiago was a woman who knew what she felt, always. She knew what she liked, didn't like, loved, hated. She was not used to mixed emotions and she was not used to butterflies in her stomach appearing around work colleagues. But today had given her a knock on the head and she felt herself longing to be close to Jake again, and she couldn't help but imagine that he felt the same. Surely he had felt it too? He was loud with his emotions and didn't hide much, but he was always better at keeping his cool than she was. She could be a bumbling moron when she was nervous: it was her weak spot. As the night wore on and more drinks went down and it was easier to keep calm, and it was soon time to call it a night. The squad left the bar and Amy began to walk home; she was the only one that lived in this direction.

"Hey, Santiago!” A voice shouted from behind her. “I feel as your undercover boyfriend, I'm bound by duty to walk you home."  
Amy knew she was blushing but the drinks she'd had were stronger than her and she let them win. "Yeah, I guess you are."

The detectives walked quietly for the ten minutes it took to arrive at Amy's apartment, before Jake broke the silence.  
"Weird day, huh?"  
Amy laughed. "Yes." Jake had stopped walking and she turned to look at him. She paused, before being grateful she was tipsy enough to have the confidence for this conversation. "Good day, though. Right?"  
The detective she had sat opposite from for five years, who had spent his time making her angry, getting her desk crumby, getting her in trouble with the Captain and playing pranks on her 'til she was irritated beyond words stood before her. But this time he was sincere, nervous, soft, kind. How could someone seem so different and yet be exactly the same? His brown eyes looked deep into hers and she was sure he'd be able to see her heart beating through her chest. He fumbled with his wrists before he moved closer to her, his lips finding hers, his arms around her waist, his hands moving over her back. Amy's hands moved over his shoulders, his chest; already they seemed to naturally fall into this fantasy world they found themselves in. 

But this was no longer fantasy. No longer under cover. This was Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago.   
Police colleagues.  
Detectives.  
Partners.  
Friends.  
But they were always more than that.

Amy's smile was too strong and she had to stop kissing him to let it out. Their foreheads stayed pressed against each other, their noses side by side. Their bodies relaxed and they created some space between them, but Amy's hands stayed firmly on Jake's chest and he covered them in his.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" That classic dorky grin melted her heart and she nodded in response. He lifted her hands, giving them a final squeeze before giving them back to her. She smiled and ran up the few steps to the building front door before turning to take one last look.

"Night, Jake."  
"Night, Ames."

-

Amy had been up extra early that day, and although she felt a little off due to the post-arrest victory beers, she was much more concerned about the butterflies that were not only flying around her stomach but seemed to be buzzing around her arms, legs and brain. She didn't know what to expect today when she arrived at the precinct to sit opposite her partner. Did they get caught up in the case? They'd had a few drinks, would he be feeling the same way today? Would it be awkward? She was NOT equipped to deal with Awkward Jake today. Amy Santiago was a woman who always knew what she was feeling, and she knew now that she was in love with Jake Peralta - and probably always had been.

The lift doors opened and she walked briskly towards her desk, but sitting there before her was a takeout coffee cup with a permanent marker "A" scrawled on the top. Terrible, messy but most importantly, distinctive handwriting. Her eyes darted across the room until she found him in the kitchen doorway with Boyle. Jake at work earlier than her? That was enough to make her smile. Their eyes locked and Jake grinned, raising his own identical takeout cup. She raised her's in response and beamed from ear to ear. 

Amy Santiago let any doubts leave her mind for good. This was the start of something amazing.

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first fanfic I've ever written but I really enjoyed doing it and hope to do more in the future! I wanted to write it as though Amy was slowly realising her feelings as the story went on. Would be really grateful for any feedback, there are some incredibly talented people on this site and I’m excited to be part of this community :)


End file.
